Comments on: Bonhams & Butterfields http://blogging.la/2009/04/07/bonhams-and-butterfields/ Lizard people dude. Seriously. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:54:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: daliexpert http://blogging.la/2009/04/07/bonhams-and-butterfields/comment-page-1/#comment-56880 daliexpert Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:50:11 +0000 http://la.metblogs.com/?p=24694#comment-56880 If you need more info or help with Dali, go to: http://www.salvadordaliexperts.com If you need more info or help with Dali, go to:

http://www.salvadordaliexperts.com

]]> By: lucindamichele http://blogging.la/2009/04/07/bonhams-and-butterfields/comment-page-1/#comment-56879 lucindamichele Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:27:43 +0000 http://la.metblogs.com/?p=24694#comment-56879 What a great story. Ms. Lulu crafts a poignant narrative. :) Where can I read the full version? Looks like a piece was cut for brevity's sake. What a great story. Ms. Lulu crafts a poignant narrative. :)

Where can I read the full version? Looks like a piece was cut for brevity’s sake.

]]> By: Chal Pivik http://blogging.la/2009/04/07/bonhams-and-butterfields/comment-page-1/#comment-56878 Chal Pivik Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:41:17 +0000 http://la.metblogs.com/?p=24694#comment-56878 There was a spate of forged Dali prints that began in the late '70s, made by the art forger Leon Amiel, Sr. I inherited one of them in the early '90s, but at the time I didn't know it was a forgery. Alfred Field, the official Dali estate archivist, lived in NYC at the time, so I made an appointment with him. He examined what I had and pronounced it a fake, telling me about Amiel, who had a long history of art forgeries, and he showed me an authentic version of the same print that he had in the archive. It was obvious mine, though a beautiful image, was an inferior copy. (I should mention that I was in rooms surrounded by hundreds of works by Dali, an unforgettable experience.) Field told me my print, called "Song of Songs," was a restrike of an original etched plate by Dali and worth nothing but the cost of the framing, but he also said I should not be embarrassed to own it. After all, he said, it was struck from a plate made by the hand of the great Dali and so carried his intent, if not his authorization, and it was still a beautiful piece. He gave me a letter detailing the forgeries history with the name of the forger. I taped it to the back of the frame and "Song of Songs" now hangs in my bedroom. Amiel's son, Leon Jr., has carried on with the family business. You can read about his arrest <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/03202008/news/regionalnews/artful_5_mil_scam_102738.htm" rel="nofollow">here</a> and also some amusing information about Amiel Sr.'s wife, who was allegedly the person who forged Dali's signature on the piece I own, <a href="http://www.dalifraud.com/chapter21.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. There was a spate of forged Dali prints that began in the late ’70s, made by the art forger Leon Amiel, Sr. I inherited one of them in the early ’90s, but at the time I didn’t know it was a forgery.

Alfred Field, the official Dali estate archivist, lived in NYC at the time, so I made an appointment with him. He examined what I had and pronounced it a fake, telling me about Amiel, who had a long history of art forgeries, and he showed me an authentic version of the same print that he had in the archive. It was obvious mine, though a beautiful image, was an inferior copy. (I should mention that I was in rooms surrounded by hundreds of works by Dali, an unforgettable experience.)

Field told me my print, called “Song of Songs,” was a restrike of an original etched plate by Dali and worth nothing but the cost of the framing, but he also said I should not be embarrassed to own it. After all, he said, it was struck from a plate made by the hand of the great Dali and so carried his intent, if not his authorization, and it was still a beautiful piece.

He gave me a letter detailing the forgeries history with the name of the forger. I taped it to the back of the frame and “Song of Songs” now hangs in my bedroom.

Amiel’s son, Leon Jr., has carried on with the family business. You can read about his arrest here and also some amusing information about Amiel Sr.’s wife, who was allegedly the person who forged Dali’s signature on the piece I own, here.

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